Applying the Principles of Universal Design to Medical Devices

This chapter presents a brief history of the creation of the Principles of Universal Design and lists the principles and their associated guidelines. The chapter discusses relevance of the Principles of Universal Design to the field of health care and describes examples of devices that comply with the Principles. Finally, the chapter discusses the wide range of potential applications and users of medical instrumentation that should be taken into consideration during the design process, the importance of testing medical devices with as broad a diversity of potential users as practical, and the critical aspect of supportive procurement, implementation, and use policies.